Presentation Skills Blog

Monday, 28 January 2013

Here are a few quotes to start together with a whole host of resources at the end of the page to put some zest in your presentation .

"Be sincere, be brief, be seated"

Franklin D. Roseveld

"It takes one hour of preparation for each minute of presentation time." Wayne Burgraff

"A theme is a memory aid, it helps you through the presentation just as it also provides the thread of continuity for your audience." Dave Carey

"There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave." Dale Carnegie

"No one can remember more than three points." Philip Crosby

"The audience only pays attention as long as you know where you are going." Philip Crosby

"Ask yourself, ''If I had only sixty seconds on the stage, what would I absolutely have to say to get my message across." Jeff Dewar

"No one ever complains about a speech being too short!" Ira Hayes

"Humor heals the heckler." Gerald C. Meyers

"Ask a heckler to identify himself and his company. They usually prefer to be anonymous." Judy Moreo

"I use many props. The props act as cue cards reminding me of what to say next." Tom Ogden

and a very clever bit of advice to finish.

"The simplest way to customize is to phone members of the audience in advance and ask them what they expect from your session and why they expect it. Then use their quotes throughout your presentation." Alan Pease

"They expect a professional presentation, so they expect to see a ''professional.'' Dress appropriately for the occasion, but don't be one of the crowd." -- Wess Roberts

Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Pitching to investors

Presenting a business idea for cash means maximising your pitching power

Many companies fail to raise finance simply because their business pitches aren't up to scratch. When you look at the numbers, of a 100 companies that present, one will be invested in by a Venture Capitalist (VC), and that's after going through the process of preparing a business plan, so your presentation has to be perfect planned and orchestrated on the day. The good news is, they will give you immediate feedback, good and bad, just look at Dragons Den if you want to see how honest, and the truth may just hurt. So what can we do to prepare for the big day? here are some tips on pitching to investors

1. Take an audience centric perspective - pick the investor that is suitable to the type of VC or Angel to your business. Make initial enquiries by phone and look at the sort of companies that they have already invested in. Its pointless pitching to a VC interested in renewables if your business sells candy floss.

2. Time is money, literally - investors are shrewd business people short of time, get to the hub of your proposition quickly, learn the art of the elevator pitch, remember gain their interest early in order to motivate them to listen more.

3. Take their perspective - investors want a good return, and they want to invest in a strong management team. Think how you are going to support your plan with the necessary people to make your idea happen and turn it into a profitable proposition.

4. Remember the laws of recency and primacy, the first thing that is said or seen and the last will stick in their minds, so make sure you've thought of the likely questions that you are likely to encounter.

5. Image is everything, they are looking to invest in you, and your idea. Dress accordingly, you need to come across as a professional that will invest their money wisely, invest in a new suit and get a haircut. They are investing in you just as much as your product.

6. If your product allows it, give it to them to create some experience around the investment as part of your pitch. If you are bringing screenshots, make sure they are big enough for the investors to see.

7. Be driven by data, if you've sold it tell them to whom and how much, mitigate their risk as much as possible with good news.

8. Be honest, lying or deceiving will not fare well during the investigation process.

10. Be enthusiastic and passionate, if you can't get excited about your idea, they certainly won't.

11. Have a walk away figure planned out, they will negotiate on equity, so work out how far you are prepared to go.

12. If at first you don't succeed - don't give up, many great products and services have been rejected along the way, just because this lot don't say yes doesn't mean the next set of investors will say no - believe in your idea, and act of the feedback given.

Present like Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs had a unique and personable presentation style that was frequently held in the highest regard by professional presenters. Modest to a tee, his uniform of black jumpers and denim jeans were his trademark, and unbecoming to the role he held as CEO of one of the largest companies in the world.

Jobs had a winning formula which you can learn to replicate which included:

1. Being humble. Never let your job title, role or wealth get the better of you, let the audience relate to you as a human being.Keep your manner and language simple, respect your audiences knowledge, experience and education, nobody likes smart arses or arrogant speakers.

2. Establish an emotional tie. Use stories and anecdotes to connect you with the presentation, explain the history and the people that were involved and what this means to you as an individual. By establishing an emotional link with your audience will allow them to see the problem from your standpoint.

3. Establish common ground or a common interest. Find an area that is shared between you and your audience, play on this common shared knowledge to gain trust, don't push your audience into a corner with offers or timescales, as most people react badly to threats, however innocent they are..

Win-win solutions are always better than demands.

4. Anticipate concerns. Heading off concerns as part of your presentation shows honesty and that you have considered the negative impacts of your proposal, people get hung up on small detail that is personal to them (NYMBY) so address it early on.

5. Keep it short. Jobs takes minutes to make his point, and then takes questions.

As Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, Be sincere. Be brief. Be seated.

6. Dont offer freebies to win approval. Jobs often gets asked to provide free services to win approval, and whilst he doesn't dismiss the requests, he answers them with a clear no and explains his thinking.

Our one day presentation course looks at the language and style of Jobs that made him such an accomplished speaker, through video case study analysis, delegates will learn:

How to structure a cohesive presentation

How to inspire and create awe

How to present difficult data in an enterprising fashion

How to create slides using the picture superiority effect

This presentation course is run on demand, please contact us for details.

Professional presenters like Jobs, Robinson or even past and present political speakers with vast amounts of public speaking experience are usually great story tellers. The earliest form of storytelling dates back thousands of years as a means to repeat historic tales, or as a means of conveying information. Modern day leaders can use this powerful tool to get difficult points across, engage the audience or even to allow the audience to slip into a light trance while they reflect and live the story in their own imagination.

Our Storytelling training course will teach you how to create compelling presentations by understanding:

Why use stories, and how they can aid modern day presenters

Why does a story differ from a presentation , and how to use it effectively

Segues , transitions and the rules of engagement

The storytelling lifecycle, how the story trance works, and what you have to do to earn it

Video case studies from modern day leaders, and how they play out their stories

Key components of a great story, examples and outline to follow

Language and PSE , using rhetorical techniques to reinforce and magnify your stories

Keeping focused. Identifying the real heart of a story and making it relevant

Our Storytelling Courses are designed for those who are already familiar with presenting and need to add new tools to their repertoire . This course is run on demand at clients premises. If you'd like to know more about our storytelling training course, please contact us for details.

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About Me

I'm an entrepreneur at heart that loves anything to do with communication and digital presence. I love working with companies to help them develop their communication practices both online, and offline.